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Political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann said on her show ‘Status’ that arrested election expert Alexander Kynev’s leg was broken in two places while he was being pressured to confess to treason. Kynev’s lawyer says the defense has no documents confirming Schulmann’s account, and Kynev faces drug charges.
Political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann said that Alexander Kynev, a prominent Russian expert on elections and regional politics arrested on drug charges, had his leg broken in two places by people who pressured him to confess to treason while he was being detained. Schulmann made the claim on the September 29 episode of her show “Status,” according to a report by the outlet Meduza.
“His leg really was broken in two places while he was being detained. That’s true, too. It’s also true that they used what had happened to his leg, along with electrical devices, to try to get him to confess to treason. He did not,” Schulmann said, as quoted by Meduza. She stated that the information had “come out” and was “now public knowledge, including internationally,” but did not say how she had learned of it.
Kynev’s lawyer, Mikhail Biryukov, told the outlet Ekho that “the lawyers have no documents confirming what Schulmann said.” His comment addressed the account of coercion, not the fact of the injury itself.
According to Meduza, reports emerged on September 25 that a court had ordered Kynev held in custody on charges of producing and selling large quantities of drugs. The outlet Slovo Zashchite reported that Kynev was badly beaten while being detained. Doctors later diagnosed two fractures in a lower leg bone, and he was admitted to the hospital at the Matrosskaya Tishina pretrial detention center in Moscow. Biryukov confirmed the hospitalization and said case materials concerning the unidentified people who injured Kynev during his detention are now part of a separate proceeding.
Pressure on Russia’s Remaining Election Analysts
Kynev is described by Meduza as one of Russia’s most respected experts on regional politics and elections — a field where independent analysis has become scarce as independent institutions and commentators have been squeezed out or forced abroad. His arrest, and now the allegation that force was used to extract a treason confession from him, signals how coercive tactics once associated with high-profile state cases may be reaching figures previously seen as purely academic observers.
The reported attempt to obtain a treason confession — a charge far graver than the drug offenses Kynev formally faces — would fit a documented pattern in which Russian security services bring auxiliary charges while pursuing unrelated investigations. Schulmann herself noted that the information is now “public knowledge, including internationally,” a framing that appeared aimed at drawing outside attention to his treatment.
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From Drug Charges to a Hospital Cell
Kynev built his reputation over years as an analyst of Russian regional elections, party systems, and gubernatorial politics, frequently cited by Russian and international media. On September 25, 2026, reports emerged that a court had ordered him held in pretrial custody on drug production and distribution charges.
The outlet Slovo Zashchite then reported that he was badly beaten during his detention. Medical evaluation found two fractures in a lower leg bone, and he was admitted to the medical facility at the Matrosskaya Tishina pretrial detention center. His lawyer confirmed the beating and hospitalization and said the injury has spawned a separate criminal proceeding targeting the unidentified people who caused it.
Schulmann, a political scientist now based outside Russia, has continued to comment publicly on Russian politics through her show “Status,” making her one of the most visible émigré voices on Russian domestic affairs.
“The lawyers have no documents confirming what Schulmann said.”
— Mikhail Biryukov, Kynev’s lawyer, to Ekho
Conflicting Accounts and Missing Documentation
The central discrepancy is between Schulmann’s account — that the injuries and electrical devices were used to pressure a treason confession — and her own acknowledgment that she did not explain how she learned of it. Kynev’s lawyer states the defense has no documents confirming her account, though he does not dispute that Kynev was beaten, hospitalized, or that a separate proceeding exists over the injuries.
It also remains unclear whether Kynev faces, or will face, any formal treason-related investigation; the only charges publicly reported are drug-related. The identity of the people who injured him during detention has not been established, and no charges against them have been announced.
The Separate Proceeding and the Custody Case
The separate criminal proceeding over Kynev’s injuries is pending, with the perpetrators reportedly still unidentified. Watch for whether Russian authorities comment on that investigation or on Schulmann’s allegations, and whether international organizations or foreign governments respond to the claims of coerced confession.
The main case continues as well: Kynev remains in custody at Matrosskaya Tishina on drug charges, and future court hearings — including any challenges to his continued detention — will indicate whether his health condition or the beating investigation affects the proceedings. His legal team may also address the discrepancy between Schulmann’s account and the evidence available to the defense.
Key Questions
Who is Alexander Kynev?
A Russian political scientist widely regarded as one of the country’s leading experts on regional politics and elections. He was arrested and ordered into pretrial custody in late September 2026 on drug charges.
What did Yekaterina Schulmann allege?
She said Kynev’s leg was broken in two places during his detention and that his injury, along with electrical devices, was used to pressure him to confess to treason — a confession she said he refused to give.
Has the coercion claim been verified?
No. Schulmann did not say how she learned the information, and Kynev’s lawyer Mikhail Biryukov said the defense has no documents confirming her account. The beating, fractures, and hospitalization are separately documented and acknowledged by the lawyer.
What charges does Kynev actually face?
According to reports from September 25, 2026, a court ordered him held on charges of producing and selling large quantities of drugs. No treason charge has been publicly reported.
Is anyone being held responsible for his injuries?
Not yet. Biryukov said the case materials concerning the unidentified people who injured Kynev during his detention are part of a separate proceeding. No arrests in connection with the beating have been announced.
Source: rss
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